Gran Premio Dardo Rocha


The Gran Premio Dardo Rocha is a Group 1 thoroughbred horse race run at Hipódromo de La Plata in Argentina, open to horses three years old or older. It is currently run over a distance of on the dirt and is the most important race at the Hipódromo de La Plata.

History

The Gran Premio Dardo Rocha was first run in 1915, and run under the name Dardo Rocha for the first time in 1918. Premio La Plata, Premio 19 de Noviembre, Clásico Cincuentenario, Clásico Fundador Dardo Rocha, Clásico Antonio Cané, and Clásico Ciudad Eva Perón were also used, until the name settled as the Gran Premio Internacional Dardo Rocha in 1960.
Through its history, the Gran Premio Dardo Rocha has been run at a variety of distances:
In 1917, Maraschino and Dieufort dead heated for first.
The Gran Premio Dardo Rocha was not run 1927–1930, 1976, and 1996.
Foreign horses that have won the race include the Urguayan racehorses Sol de Noche II and Adyacente in 1969 and 1991, respectively, the Peruvian racehorse Maidenform in 1971, and the Brazilian racehorse Mr. Nedawi in 2010 and 2011.
El Aragonés was the first major racehorse to win the race, in 1952.
When the graded stakes system was introduced in Argentina in 1973, the race was rated a Group 1 race, a designation it has retained since.
The Gran Premio Dardo Rocha was traditionally run on November 19, the day the city of La Plata was founded by Dardo Rocha, namesake of the race, but this was changed in 2023, when the race was run on December 2. In 2024, the race returned to its usual date.

Records

Speed record:
  • 2400 meters : 2:28.58 – Keane
  • 3000 meters: 3:08 – Lanark
  • 2330 meters: 2:26 – Prince
  • 2300 meters: 2:20 – Don Succes
  • 2200 meters: 2:14 – Bernabé
  • 2100 meters: 2:09 – Lord Beatty
Greatest winning margin ':
Most wins:
  • 2 – Bernabé
  • 2 – Mr. Nedawi
Most wins by a jockey:
  • 5 – F. Fernandes Gonçalves
  • 4 – Rodrigo G. Blanco
  • 3 – V. Lopellegrina
  • 3 – Fabián Antonio Rivero
  • 3 – Pablo Gustavo Falero
Most wins by a trainer:
  • 5 – Antonio Derli Gómez
  • 3 – J. M. Boquín
  • 3 – Carlos D. Etchechoury
Most wins by an owner:
Most wins by a breeder :'

Winners

ƒ indicates a filly/mare